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Exhibition of Resistance to Big Oil opens tonight (Monday)!

Mr. Keane | 14.06.2004 14:17 | Ecology | Free Spaces | London

Hi,

Ring the new number below for location details from about 4pm onwards (Monday).

a tired (but unbowed) London Rising Tider

Image by jai at ww.uhc.org.uk
Image by jai at ww.uhc.org.uk


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London Rising Tide Press Release
 london@risingtide.org.uk
Contact LRT on 07708 794665


LONDON RISING TIDE AND FRIENDS EXPOSE TRUE FACE OF BP NATIONAL PORTRAIT AWARD
Location: tba, possibly LARC, 62 Fieldgate Street, (cnr Parfett Street) London E1, Whitechape or Aldgate East tubes ring to confirm


After six months of preparation LRT activists are holding an Exhibition of Resistance to Big Oil and the Corporate Hijacking of ‘the Arts’. LRT says 'this artwork accurately paints a true portrait of an oil company. It is powerful, contemporary and disturbing.'


14th June – 7pm - Press preview of the artwork. The artwork can be viewed between the 14th and the 21st of June.
16th June – A ‘Greenwash or Us’ street party, with live performances, an open mike and a carnival spirit, from BP (St. James Square, 4pm) to the National Portrait Award’s private view (St. Martin’s Lane, 5.30pm).


Sarah Newby of London Rising Tide suggests that the Exhibition, ‘will see London ablaze with powerful, passionate, positive, independent art with attitude - on the streets, the airwaves, in squats, galleries, social centres, and cafes’. The exhibition will parody, and run parallel to, the BP-sponsored NPA running at the National Portrait Gallery.


LRT, a grassroots group taking direct action against the root causes of climate change, is joining forces with artists to express anger over the role of BP in intensifying global climate change and human rights abuses around the world. During the past two years, as part of its campaign against BP’s hugely controversial Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, LRT has disrupted BP AGMs, presentations by both BP's boss, Lord Browne, and its Chairman, brought Caspian carve-up conferences to a standstill and targeted BP-sponsored locations such as Tate Britain, Natural History Museum and the Royal Opera House.


Martin Doyle (a participating artist) stated ‘as an artist I’m appalled by BP’s sponsorship of the arts, which gives the impression that the art world condones the company’s activities around the world’. LRT activists point out that in previous years the NPA was sponsored by John Player, a tobacco company, and it appears oil companies have followed suit. Sarah Newby (LRT) suggests ‘it’s time to meet the increased corporate hijack of the arts with defiant creativity, time to kick the corporations out of our galleries, museums and theatres!’


If you would like to attend the press preview (14.06.04, 7pm) or register your interest in covering the story, contact LRT at  london@risingtide.org.uk


More information on LRT and the Exhibition of Resistance can be found at  http://www.londonrisingtide.org.uk/ and  http://www.londonrisingtide.org.uk/portrait/index.htm
See also www.risingtide.org.uk and www.baku.org.uk

Mr. Keane
- e-mail: london@risingtide.org.uk

Comments

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In fact

14.06.2004 19:57

The authorities should use the anti-social behaviour act - *everyone* knows that gathering in public and partying is the epitomy of anti-social behaviour. If they would only stay at home, alone in front of the telly and be 'social' *sigh* These pesky kids hey?

And whats all this nonsense about 'climate change', sounds like nonsense to me. Everyone knows the climate cannot change, never has, never will. In fact nothing ever changes. Submit. Do not resist. Embrace the worldview you are drip fed.

Sod this sarastic nonsense, see you on the streets!

trollentator